SAN FRANCISCO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Switchfly,
Inc., the technology company powering travel booking and loyalty
redemption solutions for the world’s most celebrated brands, today
announced its annual Global
Summer Travel Index that revealed Las Vegas, USA is the #1 most
booked destination during summer months. Orlando, USA ranked second,
followed by Cancun, Mexico, Punta Cana, Dominican Republic, and Fort
Lauderdale, USA. The travel destination that saw the biggest leap in
popularity this year was Porto Seguro, Brazil—home of this summer’s FIFA
World Cup—which jumped up twenty-one places since last year into the top
ten list.

Switchfly’s research also discovered that average summer vacation length
increased to 6 days this year, with Tahiti, French Polynesia leading as
the top travel destination according to length of stay.

“We’re delighted to share our bird’s eye view of where people are headed
this summer—this year’s lists show a very fun mix of travel destinations
around the world,” said Daniel Farrar, Chief Executive Officer at
Switchfly. “Naturally, every year is different and summer 2014 is seeing
a trend of travel booking popularity to destinations like Las Vegas and
Cancun that are known for their nightlife, pool-side and beach scenery.
Meanwhile, the travelers looking for longer stays are heading to more
aspirational locations like Paris and New York, places that are brimming
with internationally famous attractions they want to experience in their
lifetime.”

See below chart for the top 25 summer travel destinations in terms of
booking volume (left) and length of stay (right):

Global Summer Booking Index

Global Summer Getaways Index

2014

Ranking

2013

Ranking

Destination (Airport Code)

2014

Ranking

2013

Ranking

Destination (Airport Code)

1

2

Las Vegas, Nevada (LAS)

1

1

Fa'a'ā, French Polynesia, Tahiti (PPT)

2

3

Orlando, Florida (MCO)

2

75

London, England (LHR)

3

7

Cancún, Quintana Roo, Mexico CUN)

3

10

Paris, France (CDG)

4

23

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ)

4

46

Dublin, Ireland (DUB)

5

13

Fort Lauderdale, Florida (FLL)

5

72

Atlanta, Georgia (ATL)

6

20

Carolina, Puerto Rico (SJU)

6

149

Newark, New Jersey (EWR)

7

37

Oranjestad, Aruba (AUA)

7

40

New York, New York (JFK)

8

8

New York, New York (JFK)

8

14

Kahului, Maui, Hawaii (OGG)

9

30

Porto Seguro, Brazil (BPS)

9

50

Honolulu, Oahu, Hawaii (HNL)

10

5

Los Angeles, California (LAX)

10

66

Rome, Italy (FCO)

11

16

London, England (LGW)

11

31

Orlando, Florida (MCO)

12

11

San Diego, California (SAN)

12

24

Parnamirim, Brazil (NAT)

13

22

Chicago, Illinois (MDW)

13

103

Chicago, Illinois (ORD)

14

4

Miami, Florida (MIA)

14

69

Miami, Florida (MIA)

15

25

New Orleans, Louisiana (MSY)

15

32

Porto Seguro, Brazil (BPS)

16

71

Montego Bay, Jamaica (MBJ)

16

29

Maceió, Brazil (MCZ)

17

171

Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands GCM)

17

98

Los Angeles, California (LAX)

18

300

Fa'a'ā, French Polynesia, Tahiti (PPT)

18

80

Boston, Massachusetts (BOS)

19

14

Dallas, Texas (DFW)

19

45

Recife, Brazil (REC)

20

15

Denver, Colorado (DEN)

20

37

Oranjestad, Aruba (AUA)

21

81

Nassau, Bahamas (NAS)

21

97

Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain (BCN)

22

12

Tampa, Florida (RSA)

22

38

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic (POP)

23

28

Fort Myers, Florida (RSA)

23

27

Guanacaste, Costa Rica (LIR)

24

61

Parnamirim, Brazil (NAT)

24

138

Seattle, Washington (SEA)

25

17

Boston, Massachusetts (BOS)

25

25

Punta Cana, Dominican Republic (PUJ)

Global Summer Booking Index Summary

After a short fall to #2 in 2013, Switchfly revealed that Las Vegas,
Nevada, USA is back as the #1 most booked summer travel destination in
2014. The US state of Florida, is another popular destination with
Orlando, the home of Walt Disney World Resort, and Fort Lauderdale both
ranking in the top five summer destinations at #2 and #5, respectively.
American destinations dominate short summer vacations due to the
convergence of accessibility with business and leisure travel.

A summer trend this year is the resurgence of The Caribbean as a popular
destination spot. The Dominican Republic (#4), Puerto Rico (#6), Aruba
(#7), Jamaica (#16) and the Cayman Islands (#17) all rose in booking
volume from previous years. Fa'a'ā, French Polynesia, Tahiti, which is
#1 in terms of length of stay, still makes the booking index at #18.

Global Summer Getaways Index Summary

Switchfly’s Global Summer Booking Index revealed that the average summer
vacation length increased in 2014 to an average of 6 days, up from 4.5
in 2013 and 5 days in 2012.

For the third year in a row, Fa'a'ā, French Polynesia, Tahiti ranks as
the #1 getaway destination for longer vacations with an average stay of
almost two weeks (12.4 days). European capitals fill out the next three
spots with London, England at #2 (11.4 days); Paris, France at #2 (10.9
days); and Dublin, Ireland at #5 (10.2 days). Rounding out the top 5
travel destinations in length of stay is Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

The FIFA World Cup Factor

Brazil saw the most dynamic shift in travelers this summer, due in part
to soccer fans rooting for their home teams in this year’s FIFA World
Cup. World cup game host Porto Seguro jumped into the top 10 most booked
travel destinations this summer at #9, an increase of 21 spots since
2013 and 40 spots since 2012. Porto Seguro also ranked in the top 25
vacations booked in terms of length of stay, joined by four more Brazil
cities. On average, vacationers are spending 6.7 days in Parnamirim
(#12), 6.6 days in Porto Seguro (#15) and Maceió (#16), and 6.3 days in
Recife (#19).

“We’re big World Cup fans here at Switchfly,” says Daniel Farrar. “We’re
excited to see the event has such a distinct resonance in global summer
travel trends, and that Brazil as the #1 summer travel destination with
the most growth in 2014, with four of its cities in the top 25 this
year.”

Switchfly, Inc. is a global technology company that powers travel
booking and loyalty redemption solutions for some of the world’s most
recognizable brands across travel, loyalty, financial services and
ecommerce. World-class products delivered via a flexible
software-as-a-service platform let clients easily launch and maintain a
complete online travel and loyalty experience superior to any online
travel agency. Tailored to their customer needs while maintaining a full
brand match, Switchfly solutions drive customer engagement, enhance
brand loyalty and increase revenue. Founded in 2003 and headquartered in
San Francisco, the Company generates more than $1 billion in revenue for
its clients annually and has facilitated the redemption of more than 100
billion reward points and miles. The company’s global client roster
includes American Airlines, Emirates, JetBlue and LAN Airlines; IAG
Avios, Lufthansa Miles & More and United MileagePlus; InterContinental
Hotels Group and Starwood Hotels; Expedia, Orbitz, Priceline and
Groupon. For more information, visit http://www.switchfly.com.